Following recent government announcements the museum is currently closed, there is plenty to explore in our online archive.
The American Air Museum is a charity - Find out how you can support us
Military
"Lt. Clifton and crew of the 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, beside the Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Yardbird Ii'. England, 20 July 1943." Rear L-R: Howard R Wright, David S Clifton, Herman C Currie, John L Garvey. Front L-R: Carroll P Doss, Eugene D Morrison, John B Mitchell, Anthony Compo, Rodolfo A Villarreal, Jimmie E Jameson.
18-Mar-43 First mission despatched on mission to Vegesack, Germany, a strongly fortified shipbuilding region as Bombardier of B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS. The aircraft, piloted by 1LT Loyd D. Griffin, returned from mission with an excellent wheels up landing in a field about 4 miles from Molesworth. The aircraft was Damaged Beyond Repair (DBR). Crew suffered no injuries.
Completed a 25-mission tour on 27-Aug-43.
Mission Participations (UNDER CONSTRUCTION) See Biography events.
PH/ DFC/ Air Medal w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster
Group
The 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 3-Feb-1942 at Pendleton Field, Oregon. They assembled at Gowen Field, Idaho on 11-February 1942 where it conducted flight training until 12-Jun-1942. The Group then moved to Alamogordo Field, New...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F 41-24559 'Ooold Soljer' was assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-C] Bangor 14-Oct-42; Molesworth 16-Oct-42.
...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 16/12/42; Salina 10/1/43; Homestead 17/2/43; Assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-F] Molesworth 7/3/43 RED ASS; transferred 427BS; 5m* Missing in Action Bremen 29/11/43 with Finis Brumbeloe, Co-pilot: Donnell Marsh, Navigator: Jim Groves, Flight...
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F-5-VE 42-5723 [PU:D] was delivered Long Beach 30-Sep-42; Tulsa 4-Oct-42; Wayne 5-Nov-42; Salina 27-Nov-42; Assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-D] at Molesworth, UK 13-Feb-43; battle damaged over Vegasak on 18-Mar-43 crash landed with wheels up in field four...
18 March 1943
The U-Boat pens at Vegesack-Bremen are the primary target of this mission. 76 B-17s are despatched: 91BG (18); 303BG (20); 305BG (18) and 306BG (20). These are joined by 17 B-24's: 44BG (9) and 93BG (15). Of the 103 aircraft despatched 97 are effective...
22 March 1943
The U-Boat pens and harbour facilities at Wilhelmshaven, Germany are the primary target for this mission. 76 B-17's are despatched: 91BG (21); 303BG (18); 305BG (18); and 306BG (19). These are joined by 26 B-24's: 44BG (12) and 93BG (14). Of this force...
31 March 1943
The shipyards ar Rotterdam, Holland are the primary target. 78 B-17s are despatched: 91BG (20); 303BG (20); 305BG (19) and 306BG (19). The weather prevents bombing by 91BG and 306BG reducing the total effective on the target to 33 of the 78 despatched....
Military site : airfield
Molesworth was one of the early stations used by the Eighth Air Force in the UK, first occupied by the 15th Bomb Squadron’s Douglas Bostons in June 1942. Built in 1940 and extended and improved in 1942, Molesworth is most associated with the 303rd...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Winchester, Arkansas | 24 March 1918 |
| Mission #1, 1LT Herman C. Currie, W/B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS | Bremen-Vegesack, Bremen, Germany | 18 March 1943 |
|
Served as Bombardier on B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat construction yards at Vegesack, Germany. The aircraft sustained battle damage but the pilot was able to return to England and make a wheels-up belly landing in a field. He was not injured. RTB OK. |
||
| Mission #2, 1LT Herman C. Currie, W/B-17F 41-24559, 303BG/360BS | Wilhelmshaven, Germany | 22 March 1943 |
|
Served as Bombardier on B-17F 41-24559 "Ooold Soljer", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the naval facilities and U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. RTB OK. |
||
| Mission #, 1LT Herman C. Currie, W/B-17F 42-5483, 303BG/360BS | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 31 March 1943 |
|
Served as Bombardier on B-17F 42-5483, 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the shipyards at Rotterdam, Holland. RTB OK. |
||
| Died | 16 November 1983 | |
| Buried | Pine Bluff, Arkansas | |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 06 March 2016 20:05:54 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 6-Mar-2016. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Repeport of 31-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/027.pdf |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 06 March 2016 20:03:32 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 6-Mar-2016. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Repeport of 22-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/025.pdf |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 06 March 2016 20:00:21 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 6-Mar-2016. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Repeport of 18-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/024.pdf |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 06 March 2016 19:50:35 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to service number, biography, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 6-Mar-2016. Edited Summary Biography to include details of the 18-Mar-43 event; Made connectione to Place and AIrcraft (through 31-Mar-43)and Missions (through 31-Mar-43) per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 18-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/024.pdf |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:12:59 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey, p. 91, |
||
